Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub - Microelectronics at ASU

A regional ecosystem for innovation in microelectronics and defense

Led by Arizona State University, the Southwest Advanced Prototyping Hub is one of eight regional innovation hubs established under the Department of Defense’s Microelectronics Commons, a national strategic initiative to accelerate the development and production of microelectronics technologies that are critical to U.S. security and defense. Funded by a $39.8 million initial DoD investment, the SWAP Hub is one of the first awards under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which aims to revitalize American semiconductor manufacturing capacity and competitiveness.

As the SWAP Hub lead, Arizona State University leverages its ability to convene and engage with stakeholders across diverse sectors. The SWAP Hub’s 130+ regional and national partners work together to accelerate the lab-to-fab transition between research, development and production, and collaborate to build the microelectronics workforce of the future through development of curriculum, learning opportunities and job pathways.

ASU coordinates Hub activities and develops the human, physical and digital capabilities of its partners to maximize value to the DoD and advance national security priorities around microelectronics.

170+

SWAP Hub members

capability areas

cross-cutting themes

comprehensive workforce development

The Department of Defense is interested in six technical areas across the Microelectronics Commons and supports prototypes for national defense.

SWAP Hub technical priority areas

Artificial intelligence hardware

5G/6G wireless technology

Commercial leap-ahead technologies

Other technical areas

Electromagnetic warfare

Secure edge computing and the internet of things (IoT)

Quantum technology

Partner with the SWAP Hub

The SWAP Hub’s partners include top semiconductor manufacturers and defense firms, national laboratories, leading academic institutions and numerous organizations and innovative startup companies. Hub partners benefit from access to world-class facilities, advanced equipment and tools, and support from experts at ASU and across the SWAP Hub’s network. The Hub also offers access to calls for proposals on DoD-funded projects and unique opportunities for collaboration.

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High fidelity execution and innovation

The SWAP Hub leverages ASU’s sophisticated, mature management systems for working with industry and DoD clients, as well as its extensive experience in managing large-scale federal projects and complex sub-awards. ASU ensures DoD and industry-level rigor in management of SWAP projects through a systems-based manufacturing approach and quality systems model that enables agility and innovation while guaranteeing fidelity and trusted, secure collaboration. Additionally, ASU maintains capabilities to carry out classified work, allowing the Hub to execute projects that require security clearance.

Split-fab innovation for end-to-end success

The SWAP Hub leverages a unique “split fab” relationship between Arizona State University and Sandia National Laboratories, enabling a unique synergy of capabilities. Sandia specializes in fabrication of radiation-hardened (Rad-Hard) CMOS wafers with front-end-of-line (FEOL) process steps at its Microsystems Engineering, Science and Applications Complex and Center for Integrated Nanotechnology, and ASU handles back-end-of-line (BEOL) processing customized for CMOS+X at its MacroTechnology Works semiconductor fab.

The SWAP Hub also leverages more than $500 million in investment from the private sector and the State of Arizona, including $270 million from ASU, Applied Materials and the Arizona Commerce Authority for the new Materials-to-Fab Center at ASU’s MacroTechnology Works.

Macrotechnology Works (MTW) a 250,000 ft2 facility with 43,500 ft2 cleanroom, 22,000 ft2 wet/dry labs with substantial H6 capability
Materials-to-Fab Center (MTF), a groundbreaking partnership with Applied Materials bringing cutting edge industry tools
ASU Core Facilities for advanced research, consultation and project execution
Industry scale operations (300 mm tools up to 370 x 470 mm) to develop, characterize and optimize new materials and processes
Support offered by ASU’s experienced, professional engineering staff

Sandia key capabilities

The Microsystems Engineering, Science and Applications (MESA) Complex and the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (CINT), two co-joined 200 mm Si (180 nm) and 100 mm III-V capable compound semiconductor fabs
Co-located R&D and production at largest government-owned microfabrication facility
Entirely export-controlled, secure and capable of handling classified material
Low volume, high work mix offers high flexibility and agility
Capabilities for Heterogeneous Integration

World-class capabilities and expertise

The SWAP Hub applies cutting-edge physical and virtual tools and world-class expertise across its workflow—from prototype design to demonstration—leveraging partner capabilities across six capability areas and driving performance across three cross-cutting themes.

Six unique SWAP Hub capability areas

Materials for CMOS+X

Rad-Hard CMOS+X Integration

Heterogeneous Integration

Circuits, Architectures, and Test

Metrology and Characterization

Power and RF Electronics

SWAP Hub’s three cross-cutting themes

Trusted and Assured

The Hub’s project performers are committed to designing, testing, and validating the security and trust of microelectronics from IP design through fabrication, packaging, testing and distribution.

Rad-Hard/Extreme Environment Reliability

Going beyond conventional commercial approaches, the Hub’s projects address potential threats to electronics that operate in space and other extreme radiation environments to guarantee functionality and reliability.

Workforce Development

The Hub produces microelectronics talent tailored to DoD-identified needs through partnership with industry, higher education institutions and non-profit organizations.